Step 1: Convert each character in the string to its ASCII value using ord(). Step 2: Use two pointers (st and en) to compare characters from the start and end of the string. Step 3: For each mismatch, calculate the difference in ASCII values and add it to the count. Step 4: Return the total number of operations needed to make the string a palindrome.

def theLoveLetterMystery(s): # Convert each character to its ASCII value res = [ord(char) for char in s]

# Initialize pointers and operation counter
st = 0
en = len(res) - 1
count = 0

# Compare characters from both ends
while st < en:
    count += abs(res[st] - res[en])
    st += 1
    en -= 1

return count

`